


Saved by the Sea

by Clarakluk



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, merman au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-09
Updated: 2015-03-09
Packaged: 2018-03-17 03:13:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3513131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clarakluk/pseuds/Clarakluk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico knew going to the beach was a bad idea, but Bianca insisted... And now she's gone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Saved by the Sea

**Author's Note:**

> Just a small drabble i found on my laptop the other day :P  
> (I know I should be working on ATIT! Sorry!)

Nico was walking along the beach with his today 17-year-old sister, Bianca. It was a lovely day, the sun shining and the air shimmering of heat. They were both wearing t-shirts and shorts, their towels around their necks. They had the whole day planned – they were going to use it on the beach with a picnic and tiny boat to sail out on a little island a little away from the shore.

Everything was fine, the two siblings laughing and goofing around, until they'd gotten out on the sea. Suddenly the waves were rising, a storm gathering around them.

"Nico!" Bianca shouted over the howling wind. "Hurricane! Hold on to the boat and don't let go!"

Nico nodded and grabbed the bench he was sitting on, his eyes wide with fear. Bianca mimicked him in the other end of the boat.

Bianca shouted again. "This was a bad idea! I knew we couldn't sail! Curse you, Poseidon!"

Nico scowled at her. "Maybe you shouldn't insult the god who's trying to kill us!" he yelled at her, and retrieved a glare from her.

Suddenly a wave larger than any of the others crashed into their boat, and they were both sent flying into the icy water. In his panic, a single, random thought crossed to his mind, _and here I was hoping to have a nice trip to the beach._

Nico kicked out with his legs, trying to find the surface again, but soon he felt the pressure around him getting higher, and realized he was swimming in the wrong direction. His lungs felt like they were about to burst, and black spots had started to appear in front of his eyes. Just before he blacked out, he saw a pair of green eyes surrounded by black hair.

 

Nico woke up spluttering. He quickly turned around and threw up a ton of salty seawater. When he was sure his lungs and stomach were empty, he fell back down on his back and looked up into the sky.

Only problem with that, a person was blocking his view. Nico frowned, but he couldn't make out the persons features, because the sun was right behind their head, making it look like a glory.

"Who-" Nico tried to say, then couched, but tried again. "Who are you?"

The person above him moved a little away, and Nico could now see that it was a boy, about his age. The boy smiled.

"My name is Percy," he offered. "And you are?"

Nico blinked and sat up. "Nico di Angelo."

The boy, Percy, smiled wider. "You do look a bit like an angel," he said and tilted his head.

Nico could feel his cheeks burn. Then he realized the other boy wasn't wearing anything but a green strap across his chest, which almost looked like it was made of seaweed. And boy, was that a chest Nico would like to touch and see if it was as defined as it looked.

"Uh, thanks?" Nico managed to choke out, looking away. He hadn't got the guts to see if the other boy was wearing swim trunks.

Percy offered him yet a smile, but then frowned. "But, what were you doing out in that little boat? You shouldn't sail around here when Dad's in this mood."

Nico blinked and looked at Percy again. "Dad?"

Percy bit his lip, which Nico found extremely cute. "Yeah... My dad's Poseidon."

"Your... Wait, that makes me your... Damn." Nico hit the sand beside him, hard.

Percy looked confused at him. "Uhm, what?"

Nico glanced up at him. "I'm the son of Hades."

Percy frowned, but with a smile lingering on his lips. "Yeah, I guessed that. Well, sort of. Dad would only smash a boat like that if it was one of his brothers kids."

Nico nodded a little. Hades was much like that too, but Zeus was the worst. Nico had never even been to the airport. Then something hit him.

"Where's Bianca? My sister, she was with me in the boat."

Percy got a painful expression on his face, and pointed a little away from them in the edge of the water. Nico hadn't even realized his legs were still in the water, completely soaked, but he couldn't care right now. Bianca wasn't moving.

He got up with some difficulty and staggered over to her limp body, falling down on his knees beside her.

"No," he sobbed and cradled her head in his lab. "No, this can't be happening."

He heard something coming out of the water, and looked up at Percy, who was crawling over to him.

"Can't you do anything?" he asked, tears streaming down his face.

Percy shook his head lightly. "I've already tried. I was too late, I didn't have enough time to save you both." Then he looked Nico right in the eyes. "If anyone can help her, it's you and your father."

Anger flowed up in Nico, and he started to scream. "My father doesn't care! He doesn't care about us! He never did! He-"

Nico was cut off midsentence by Percy's finger on his lips. "Angel, don't. I know you're angry, and I know how it is to have a godly parent, but anger doesn't help. If you want to help your sister, and you don't think your father will help you, then it's up to you."

His voice was soft, and Nico's anger faded slowly.

"Good. Now, try to feel for any life within her."

Nico closed his eyes and let out his breath, placing a hand on his sisters chest.

"Concentrate. Call on your fathers domain, call her spirit home." Percy kept whispering in his ear, but the words got mixed up as Nico concentrated harder on his sister in front of him. He reached out with his mind and into her body, searching for anything that could mean life. Nothing was to be found. Nico tried harder, and the more time that went, the more frustrated and panicked he got.

After some time Percy placed a hand on his shaking shoulder. "Nico?" he asked softly. "Look up."

Nico did as he was told and saw a shimmering image above Bianca's limp body. It was hard to see at first, but suddenly he realized it was Bianca's ghost. She was offering him a sad smile.

"Hi, Nico," she said, her voice sounding like leafs in the wind.

"Bi- Bianca." Nico's voice was hoarse.

"Don't do this," she said, her sad smile still on her face, "Nico, be happy, and try to forget. I finally feel free, okay? I don't want to come back, understand? Don't try, and do not blame yourself!"

The last was a direct order to Nico, who burst out in tears. He felt the wind brushing against his cheek, and when he looked up, Bianca was trying to wipe the tears off his cheek. Then she turned to Percy beside him.

Nico had almost forgotten he was there.

"Will you take care of him? We don't have any other family than our dad left, and I don't want Nico to be all by himself, or down in the Underworld," Bianca said to the green-eyed boy. Nico realized it was the same eyes he'd seen just before he blacked-out.

"I will," Percy said, and offered her a smile. "I'll take care of him, I promise on the River Styx." Thunder boomed overhead.

Bianca smiled at that and turned back to Nico. "Nico, if you are really in need, I'll be there. But do not try to call me back to life, okay?"

Nico nodded numbly.

Bianca leaned forward and attempted to kiss his forehead, and then she was gone.

Tears burst out of Nico's eyes yet again, and Percy wrapped his strong arms around him. Nico turned and buried his face at the other boy’s neck.

They sat like that until the sun had set, and a long time after that too. Percy pulled slightly away, and gazed up at the stars overhead.

"We should get home," he said softly in Nico's ear. "C'mon I'll show you the way."

Percy let go of his embrace, but kept hold on Nico's wrist, as if he was afraid the son of Hades would run away if he let go.

"Wha- what a-about Bianca?" Nico stuttered and wiped his eyes. Percy gazed down on the dead girl, and then did something that surprised Nico; he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

Blue-green light enveloped Bianca and turned to light, Nico had to look away. When the light finally faded, a seashell the size of a coin was laying in her place.

Percy gingerly picked up the black and silver shell and handed it to Nico.

"So you always have a piece of her near," he said and placed it on Nico's palm. Tears rolled down Nico's cheeks yet again.

"Thank you," he croaked and clenched the shell in his fist. Percy thought for a moment, and then ripped a little string of his chest-strap-thing, and handed it to Nico.

"So you can wear it and never loose it."

When the shell was wrapped around Nico's throat, Percy took Nico's hand in his.

"Ready to leave?" he asked, and Nico nodded silently. Percy gave him a reassuring smile, and began to wriggle backwards.

Nico frowned at him. _Why didn't he just stand up?_  Then he noticed something that Nico should have seen long time ago. Where Percy's legs should have been was a ten-foot-long, blue-green tail, the same color of his eyes. It flapped longer down into the water, and Percy pulled Nico with him.

"Wait..." Nico stammered. "You're a mermaid?"

Percy looked first confused, then offended. "First, it's mer _man_ , and secondly, I thought you had seen that? I mean, it's pretty hard to hide..." He lifted the end of his tail to prove his point.

"Uh..." was all Nico could say.

Percy rolled his eyes and sighed. "Come on, let's go. I'm sure we're both very tired." At the last, a yawn escaped him.

Nico stood still for a moment more, and then cautiously walked into the water after the other boy. Percy began to wriggle farther out until he could actually swim. Then he took hold of Nico's hand. Nico was standing waist deep in the water, freezing in his soaked clothes.

Percy noticed his shivering and said something in a foreign language that Nico didn't understand, but he guessed it was a curse. Then he twisted his hand around Nico's wrist, and suddenly his clothes was dry, even the ones under water.

"Wow," he said, which made Percy smile.

"Ready to dive?" he asked.

Nico looked back at the beach again, and then at the shell around his neck. "Yeah."

Percy grinned. "Don't let go." And then Nico was pulled under.

Percy pulled Nico forward by his arm in a speed Nico would have thought impossible. After only a couple of seconds, Percy seemed to realize something, and they broke the surface again.

"I almost forgot! How stupid has anyone permission to be?" he said and Nico frowned, while he began to move his arms and kick upwards to hold his head over the surface.

"What?"

Percy looked at him. Was that a green blush? Nico frowned confused.

"You can't breathe underwater, and you can't survive the pressure either," Percy explained.

"Uh... Don't you have any magic trick for that?" Nico asked, suddenly curious. It was hard to see the other boy in the dark, but the moon was full, which provided just enough light for Nico to see the green blush deepen.

"Yeah... But uh... It- it requires something from you." Percy looked down a bit.

Nico narrowed his eyes. "What does it require?"

Percy bit his lip. "A kiss."

Nico stared confused at him uncomprehending, until it hit him, and he felt his cheeks heat up. "Well."

"Are you okay with that?" Percy asked hesitantly and reached out for Nico. Nico took his hand, his cheeks feeling like they could burst into flames of the heat, and swam forward.

Percy took the hint and leaned forward too, connecting their lips. Everything around Nico disappeared but Percy's lips on his, and his arms around the merman’s neck.

Slowly Percy pulled them down under the surface, but Nico did not let go. Hey, who can blame a fifteen-year-old boy when a handsome young man tells him that he can only survive with a kiss?

When they were completely under water, Percy slowly removed his lips from Nico's, but his arms not leaving his waist. Nico's breathing was heavy until it clicked in his head, _I'm breathing under water._  Percy grinned at him, and then began to swim down, his arms still around Nico's waist, and Nico's around his neck. Nico hid his face at Percy's neck as they picked up speed. He could feel the muscles under the other boy's skin work, moving in fluid motions.

It was completely dark down here, but as long as he had Percy this close, it didn't bother him. The only thing that mattered at the moment was the others arms around him.


End file.
